


it takes two

by buckydarling



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Theater Kids, based on something that my wife witnessed IRL, literally the stupidest fluffiest thing i have ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 01:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14631051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckydarling/pseuds/buckydarling
Summary: Race hasn't thought a lot about the fact that he's never kissed anyone before until he's suddenly confronted with the fact that he'll have to kiss someone onstage.





	it takes two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [byrd_the_amazin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/byrd_the_amazin/gifts).



> hellOOOO
> 
> i come up with a lot more fic ideas than i actually finish and publish
> 
> and the ones that GET Published are never the important WIPs they're always ideas i churn out in three hours
> 
> so sorry i never publish anything
> 
> oops
> 
> this is based on a prompt from the LOML byrd who literally witnessed something like this happen backstage and screeched with me about it
> 
> thanks for the prompt babe love u
> 
> anyway more notes at the end this is like a combo of two prompts and i absolutely adore it thank u for ur time

“Places for the beginning of ‘It Takes Two’, please!” Medda called from the house. 

 

Race grinned, glancing at the small mirror in the backstage hallway and fixing his collar. There was something about being in costume, wearing the baker’s clothes and having his hair combed just so, that made tech week and rehearsal just a little more magical. Jack jogged by in his prince’s outfit, calling for Blink so they could rehearse “Agony” in the green room, and onstage Race could hear Crutchie yelling at the stage crew as they attempted to move Rapunzel’s tower offstage. 

 

Spot walked by behind him, hip-checking him lightly as he expertly snatched Smalls’ basket from where she’d left it on the floor,  _ again,  _ next to her cape. “You know,” he teased Race, “you lean any farther into that mirror and you’re gonna turn into a flower like that guy from the myth Mr. Kloppman told us about.”

 

Race snorted. “Narcissus?” he reminded Spot lightly, who just elbowed him.

 

“Shut up. I’ve got an A in that class, I can afford to forget some minor details,” he shot back. He picked up Smalls’ red cloak, handing it to Race as he turned away from the mirror. “Come on, these need to go on the props table and you have to be onstage for this scene anyway.” 

 

They walked out of the hallway into the backstage area; everything was dark for tech, and from behind the midstage legs Race could see that Elmer was still fiddling with the lighting. Specs called something inaudible from fly rail, and a moment later the canopy of leaves flew in to float above the stage. Race grinned. 

 

“Now remember,” Medda called from the house, “since it is tech week, we’ll be rehearsing these songs and scenes with all incorporated elements, including the kiss at the end of this number.” 

 

Race felt his stomach plummet. 

 

“Spot.” Race whirled around suddenly to face his best friend. “I can’t.” 

 

Spot furrowed his brow with confusion, putting Red’s basket in its place on the prop table. “Can’t what?”

 

Race felt panic creeping up his spine, his breath coming faster. “Can’t do this scene. I can’t do it. I can’t go out there.” He felt like his heart was pounding out of his chest. 

 

Spot frowned, taking Race’s arm and leading him a little further back into the wings by the wall of the theater. “Why not?” He squeezed Race’s upper arms gently. “Hey.  _ Hey, _ ” he pushed gently. “Racer. Look at me.” Race met Spot’s eyes, dark brown reflecting the blue of the backstage lights. “What’s going on?” Spot asked. “You’ve done this scene a thousand times in rehearsal. You and Kath have the choreography down pat, and it’s fantastic. What’s different now?”

 

Race swallowed, tearing his gaze away. “I -- um.” His face burned with sudden shame. “Never mind,” he mumbled. “It’s stupid.” 

 

Spot sighed. “Race. It’s  _ not. _ ” He prodded Race gently. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

 

Race bit down on his bottom lip, working at it nervously as the panic continued to bubble up in his chest. 

 

“I’ve never kissed anyone!” he burst out suddenly. “If I go out there and kiss Kath, that’ll be my first kiss and we’ve never done it before in this scene and it’ll be on stage in front of everyone in the cast, and I don’t want my first kiss to be with a  _ girl _ !” He let out a short, almost hysterical laugh, running a hand through his hair. “I’m gay, Spot!”

 

He risked a look at Spot, whose mouth was turned down with sympathy. Spot sighed. “Aw, Racer--”

 

Race cut him off. “I mean, how pathetic is that, right?” He huffed. “I’m eighteen fucking years old, never kissed anyone in my goddamn life, and my first kiss is about to be with someone I don’t even have the  _ ability  _ to be attracted to--”

 

“Race, look at me--”

 

“--and everyone’s going to be  _ staring,  _ and I won’t know what to do--”

 

“--Race,  _ please-- _ ”

 

“--and I just  _ can’t,  _ Spot, I can’t waste my first kiss on something like this--”

 

Race felt whatever he was going to say next die in his mouth as all of a sudden Spot’s arms left his to grab either side of his face and yank it so they were facing each other. Spot had an odd expression on his face, a strange combination of nerves and determination, and Race barely had time to register what was going on before the distance between them closed. 

 

Spot’s lips were warm and soft, and Race felt his face flush with warmth from the place where their lips met, spreading all the way down to his toes. Spot kissed him chaste and gentle, hands carefully cradling either side of his face, and Race couldn’t help but let out a little sigh, leaning forward as if guided by instinct and kissing back. He was sure there was still backstage chaos - there always was - but for a moment it all faded to background noise, and all there was was Spot. 

 

They separated after only another moment, Spot still holding Race’s face gently. Race blinked, feeling a little dazed. His face burned, and the surface of his skin buzzed with energy, like the next thing he touched would cause an electric shock. He blinked again. “I--”

 

“There,” Spot said softly, dropping his hands from Race’s face. His own cheeks were tinted pink. “Now it won’t be your first kiss.” 

 

Race opened his mouth to say something (he didn’t know what) only to hear Medda call places from the house again. He opted to bite back a small smile instead, looking down at his feet. Spot reached down and squeezed his hand. 

 

“I’ve gotta go check stage left props. Break a leg,” he said. “You’re gonna be great.” Pushing off the wall, he moved to go over to stage left. Race finally yanked his gaze up off the floor to see Spot’s retreating figure. 

 

“Spot!” he called, his voice soft, and Spot turned around to meet his eyes, looking...nervous? Race fiddled with his hands. “Um. Thank you,” he said quietly, warmth flooding his whole body once again when Spot broke into a smile, blushing. 

 

The music cue for his entrance started, and Race took a deep breath before charging out on stage and singing the best “It Takes Two” he’d done in the entire rehearsal process. 

 

+

 

Between props duties and the scenes Medda wanted to rehearse, Race didn’t see Spot for the rest of rehearsal. 

 

He couldn’t get his mind off the kiss. Sitting in the house as Medda gave notes to the other leads, Race felt a sharp elbow to his shoulder, and he snapped out of his thoughts to find Mush staring at him, raising an eyebrow. Race glared at him. “What?” he snapped.

 

Mush snorted. “You’re staring into space looking like a unicorn appeared out of nowhere, and your face is bright red.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “That kiss scene really got you, huh?”

 

Race smacked him. “Fuck off, I’m gay as hell and you  _ know that. _ ”

 

Mush laughed. “Yeah, I’m just teasing. But seriously,” he lowered his voice a little as Medda glared at him, “what’s gotten into you? You’ve been spacey the whole rehearsal.”

 

Race just shrugged. “Nothing special.”

 

After Medda released them, Race was grabbing his jacket when he felt someone grab his arm. He turned and found Spot, standing with his jacket already on. “Hey,” he said, sounding almost breathless. Race smiled, feeling the flush already return to his face. 

 

“Hey,” he responded simply, and Spot grinned at him in a way that made him a little dizzy. “You heading home?” Race asked. 

 

Spot nodded. “Actually, I, uh, was wondering if you’d mind me walking with you?”

 

Race smiled. “Course not,” he replied. “I miss walking with you. We used to do it all the time.”

 

Spot grinned. “Yeah, we did.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “Fuck, in  _ middle school.  _ What a mess.” 

 

Race laughed, and the smile on Spot’s face caused something new and brilliant to swell up inside Race’s chest. “Come on, we should head out before everyone else comes to get their stuff,” he said, and together they walked out the door of the theater into the chilly night air. 

 

They walked the first block in comfortable silence before Spot spoke. “Hey, Race? About earlier.”

 

Race’s head snapped up, nerves suddenly flaring up inside of him. “Yeah?” he said quietly, trying to keep his voice level. Spot shrugged. 

 

“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t make you,” he fiddled with his hands, “uncomfortable, or anything. Earlier. I know I didn’t ask before I - well, before I--”

 

“Before you kissed me,” Race supplied quietly, and Spot blushed, looking down at the sidewalk. 

 

“Yeah,” he said. “When I kissed you.” 

 

“No,” Race assured him. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I, uh,” he looked up as they passed a tall building, watching the patterns in the lights of the windows, “I kind of liked it.” He forced himself to look at Spot’s face, and seeing his best friend’s face screwed up with such a nervous expression sparked some sort of courage in Race. “Scratch that,” he admitted shyly, “I definitely liked it.” 

 

He looked down at the ground again. “But,” he said, and where their shoulders briefly brushed Race felt Spot stiffen. 

 

“But?” Spot asked. Race bit his lip. 

 

“But,” he said slowly, “I want to know if you kissed me because you wanted to, or because you felt like you had to.” He shifted his shoulders nervously. “I know I was kind of freaking out earlier, and it was real nice that you did what you did but I want to make sure we’re on the same page and if you kissed me because you felt like you should, that’s fine but--” He cut himself off. “So, which was it?” he asked quietly. 

 

Spot let out a quiet laugh. “No, uh,” he said, “I wanted to.” He reached down then and tentatively took Race’s hand, tangling their fingers together and sending Race’s heart thundering inside his chest. “I definitely wanted to,” Spot admitted softly. 

 

When Race looked up, Spot wasn’t looking at him, but he was biting back an uncharacteristically shy smile, and his face was bright pink. He looked up, and Race couldn’t help the wide, lovestruck smile that spread across his own face, only growing wider when Spot finally allowed himself to mirror it. 

 

They both looked away, too shy to maintain eye contact, but when Race squeezed Spot’s hand, Spot squeezed back. 

 

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence, not letting go of each other’s hands even when they stopped in front of Race’s apartment building. 

 

“Well,” Race started hesitantly, “I guess I gotta go.”

 

Spot nodded. “Yeah.” He shrugged. “But I’ll, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

 

Race nodded quickly. “Yeah, of course, tomorrow!” he agreed. “Wanna walk to school together?” he asked, and Spot grinned. 

 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he said. They both paused, unsure of what to do next.

 

Race found his gaze wandering to Spot’s face, and then his lips, and then before he knew it he was the one leaning in. 

 

Their second kiss was soft and unhurried. Race felt Spot’s eyes flutter closed, his eyelashes brushing Race’s face as he leaned in to kiss back. Something in Race’s chest felt like it was swelling up and bursting like a firework, and he couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, bringing a hand up to cradle Spot’s face and sighing as Spot covered it with his own. 

 

They pulled apart briefly, foreheads brushing and breath coming in soft puffs. Spot smiled at the ground, squeezing Race’s hand that was still carefully cradling his face. When their gazes finally met, there was such a quiet intensity in Spot’s stare that Race’s breath hitched, and he couldn’t tell who leaned in first.

 

He didn’t actually make it inside his apartment building for another twenty minutes, and his sister gave him a look when he walked in flushed and kiss-mouthed with ruffled hair, but Race felt so much like he was floating that he couldn’t bring himself to care one bit. 

 

+

 

Throughout performance week, everyone complimented Race on how charismatic and convincing he was during “It Takes Two,” but Race just waved off their praise and gave all the credit to Kath. 

 

Spot, who waited in the wings during every performance and dragged Race into a kiss right after he and Kath came offstage, was a better kisser anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> If you couldn't tell, the show they're doing is Into The Woods
> 
> god talk to me about this au forever  
> -race is the baker  
> -kath is the baker's wife  
> -sarah is cinderella  
> -mush is beanstalk jack  
> -jack and blink are the two princes (jack also builds sets)  
> -smalls is red riding hood  
> -sniper is rapunzel  
> -romeo is the wolf/the voice of the giant  
> -spot is head of props and you can pry this from my cold dead hands  
> -davey is stage manager (yells at actors) and crutchie is deck chief (yells at stage crew) and since jack does both they both yell at jack a lot  
>  -it's ok they're all in love and i love JCD  
> -specs is head of fly rail  
> -elmer does lights and albert does sound  
> -medda directs
> 
> i love theater and i saw a really good production of into the woods last weekend so i'm really feelin it
> 
> send me prompts or just chat with me on tumblr: hispanicjackkelly
> 
> leave a comment telling me what you thought or just kudos!! :)


End file.
